Councillors are elected to represent the public. But close ties to lobbyists mean they may put developers’ interests firstThe timeless practice of “gastronomic pimping”,as Nye Bevan put it, is a tool long used by commercial lobbyists to curry favour. These “meetings” are intentionally social occasions designed to create bonds, or establish shared values and ultimately influence council decisions.
Robert Davis,the most wined and dined politician in Britain while he was chairman of Westminster council’s planning committee, was entertained 150 times by property industry figures in three years. But hospitality is not the only tool in the property lobbyists box. One of the surest ways to access and influence the officials you seek to influence is to employ people who know local government inside out. Councillors up and down the country are employed in the property lobbying commerce. They are elected to represent the public interest and at the same time employed by developers seeking to influence the public sphere.
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Source: guardian.co.uk